Chapter 14
Tessa
I wipe my palms on my pants for the third time in five minutes.
The hallway outside King County Family Court is painfully neutral, like someone thinks beige walls can lower your pulse. It doesn’t. Nothing calms you when you’re waiting for a stranger to decide your life.
Zoe shakes beside me. Not metaphorically. Literally.
“Only answer what they ask,” Yvonne reminds her. “Don’t ramble. Like we practiced.”
The courtroom doors open. A woman walks out with tears in her eyes. That doesn’t help.
The courtroom is small. Wooden benches. A judge’s bench. Two tables for counsel. Fluorescent lights so cold they make everyone look a little sick.
And in the gallery, our whole team shows up. Nobody wants to miss it. Lucía in the front row, arms crossed. Sara beside her. Jade Herrera two seats down. Between them, Iris Vance with her hair down and a button-up that is clearly not hers. Even Hades shows up with the technical staff.
Nate sits at the other table. Gray suit. Blue tie. Magazine smile.
The judge looks up.
“Are we ready to proceed?”
“Yes, Your Honor,” the attorneys answer almost in unison.
“Ms. Park, your first witness.”
“I call Dr. Tessa Clark.”
I walk to the stand. My heels sound too loud on the floor.
I sit. The chair is too hard. Or maybe I’m so tense everything feels wrong. From here I can see the whole room. Zoe with her spine straight. Iris chewing a nail down to nothing.
Yvonne approaches.
“State your name and occupation for the record.”
“Dr. Tessa Marie Clark. Head of Sports Medicine for the Seattle Emeralds soccer club.”
“Did you work with Ms. Méndez on her postpartum rehabilitation?”
“Yes. I supervised the first ten weeks before I removed myself from her case due to a conflict of interest.”
“Explain that conflict, please,” Yvonne says, exactly as we rehearsed.
“Ms. Méndez and I have a personal relationship,” I answer, maybe too quietly.
“What kind of relationship?”
“Romantic.”
Yvonne pauses a beat too long. Nate folds his arms.
“Do you spend time with Wesley?”
“Yes. I’ve helped care for him. Baths, meals, routines.”
“How would you describe Ms. Méndez as a mother?”
I look straight at the judge.
“She’s an exceptional mother. She would die for her child,” I say without hesitation. “I see every day that Wes comes first. Zoe Méndez plans every minute around him. He never goes without. He’s always cared for.”
When Yvonne finishes, Matthew Harrington stands. Slow. Like a predator. Smiling.
“Dr. Clark. You testified you have a romantic relationship.”
“Yes.”
“When did it begin?”
“About two months ago.”
“Was there a prior relationship?”
“Yes. Seven years ago,” I admit, and I can already see where he’s going.
“What happened?”
Yvonne rises.
“Objection. Relevance.”
“Your Honor, I’m establishing a pattern of instability,” Harrington says.
The judge nods once.
“Overruled. Answer the question.”
“It ended when I accepted a job in Munich.”
“Did you end it?”
“Yes.” My throat tightens. “I ended it unilaterally.”
“You are currently under investigation by the league ethics committee. True?”
“It is an anonymous complaint with no basis,” I say, eyes cutting to Nate. “We followed protocol at all times, and everything is being addressed with the committee.”
When I stand to return to my seat, my legs shake.
“I call Ms. Jamie Reid as my next witness.”
Jamie comes in on crutches. All five-ten of her moving across the room with effort.
“Name and relationship to Ms. Méndez,” the judge asks.
“Jamie Reid. Teammate and friend.”
“Do you know Wesley?”
“Yes. I’ve watched him several times. Before my knee surgery.”
“For example, six weeks ago,” Yvonne prompts. “Ms. Méndez’s sitter couldn’t make it and you stayed with Wesley during training. Several players volunteered to help if needed. Correct?”
“Yes,” Jamie says. Her hands clamp on the crutches. She looks uncomfortable from a mile away.
“Did you receive a call regarding that situation?” Yvonne asks.
Jamie swallows.
“Nate Henderson called me that night.”
Zoe goes rigid. Nate leans toward his attorney and whispers something.
“What did he say?”
“He saw a photo of me with Wesley on Instagram and wanted to know why I was watching his child.” Jamie rushes to add, “I pixelated the baby’s face.” Then her jaw tightens. “Then he asked if I was ‘one of those lesbians on the team.’” She makes air quotes on the last words.
The judge leans forward.
“Excuse me. What did he say?”
“Nate Henderson asked if I was one of those lesbians on the team,” Jamie repeats, and points straight at Zoe’s ex.
The judge exhales and rolls her eyes.
“My goodness.”
**
The team crowds Zoe the second we get outside.
“That lawyer is a prick,” Iris snaps. “If that bastard wins, I swear I’m keying his car. I’m not joking. I’ll pay the fine and we're cool.”
Zoe can’t help laughing, even with the tension still buzzing under her skin.
“Thank you,” she says, caught between laughter and tears. “All of you. Seriously. It means a lot that you came to support me.”
“The whole team’s with you, Méndez,” Hades says. “Now go rest. I’m not canceling this afternoon’s training,” she adds, earning a wave of player protests.